Most have heard the saying “April showers bring May flowers.” Rainfall in April helps replenish our plants as they enter into another growing season.

However, this precipitation also brings unwanted consequences to our landscapes – disease. Fungal and bacterial diseases usually start popping up at the beginning of spring. For disease to occur, the following three components must all be present: host, pathogen, environmental conditions that favor growth of the pathogen. With time, these factors lead to the disease seen in the landscape.

Several local garden clubs were recognized during the 87th annual convention of the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., last week in Jekyll Island, Ga., and Betty Davis, immediate past president of the Augusta Council of Garden Clubs, couldn’t be happier.

“It means a lot to receive a state award, as there are 364 clubs in the state that can apply for these awards,” said Davis, who was inducted as director of the Azalea District during the convention. “There are over 60 awards that can be applied for and several sub awards within these.”

Azaleas are a staple of traditional southern landscapes and have become a major staple in the area due to a small “corner.” This corner rests on a 365 acre tract that once was indigo farm, then became a nursery and finally was transformed into one of the most revered golf courses in the world; The Augusta National. Amen Corner boosts more than 70 different varieties of Azaleas. Azaleas are prized for their graceful form and showy flower displays. They are also known for variety of colors and bloom types available. They have become a gardeners ‘must have.’

It is a movement that began in 1970 and has garnered more and more attention as the years have passed. Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, aims to bring awareness to the environment.

“At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans,” read the Web site earthday.org, on thee history of Earth Day. “Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. ‘Environment’ was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.